Building construction.



No.I 872,954.

PATENTED' Dma, 1907.

E. D. MARTIN.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION. APPLIOATIQN IILBD JANJ, 1907.

u Milfor: M),

PATENTED DBG. a, 1907.

T. 13. MARTIN. BUILDING CONSTRUCTION PPLIOATIN FILED JANJ., 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

eli/021' mrnmllmlmmmhcv' and rein rvhich the girders or UNITED STATES PATENT onirica.

EDGAR n. MARTIN, or cHIcAGo, ILLINoIs, AssIGNoR or ONE-HALF rro FRANKLIN P. SMITH,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION.

Speccaton' of 1Letters Patent.

Patented Dee. 3, 1997..

T o all whom 'it may concern.' Be it known that I, EDGAR I). MARTnv, a citizen of the United States, a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Building Construction, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. Y

My invention relates vto certain new and useful improvements in building constructions and more particularly to improvements in building constructions of that class, which are composed of a combination of concrete orcing metal. One of the objects-of this invention is to cheapen-the cost of construction of buildings of this class.

Another object is to simplify the construction and erection thereof.

Another object is vto increase the strength and durability of the building without necessarily increasing the amount of material.

Another object is to lighten constructions of this class Without materially reducing their carrying capacities. v

' Another object is to provide a structure in horizontal. .supporting beams are dispensed with throughout the entire structure. i

To such end this invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement, a description ofwhich will be.

found in the following specification, and the essential features of which will be more definitely pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

The invention is clearly illustrated in drawings furnished herewith, in which Figure 1 is a view partly in vertical section partly in side elevation of two columns and a fragment of a floor supported thereby, i the line of section being indicated at 1-1 in Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the reinforcing metal ortions of the cap of one of the columns. ig.v 3 is a diagrammatical plan view, representing four columns and the metal fabric which connects the several columns of the building. Figa is a fragmental perspective view of a column and floor. Fig. 5- is an enlarged central vertical section through a column and its cap and Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5. In Fig. 10-10 are two of the columns of a building containing my improved construction. These columns are arranged symmetrically about the building and form the vertical supporting vmembers thereof. Asdia'grammatically shown in Fig. 3 these columns are preferably arranged to form squares or rectangles Vand are usually ar' ranged from about 16 to 20 ft.. apart, although this `distance may be varied to snit the requirements. The construction of these columnslis immaterial so far as my invention is concerned, but I prefer to make them out of concrete with reinforcing metal therein, and as shown in the drawings, this reinforc ing metal consists of vertical bars or rods 11, 'to which is secured a connecting band of metal 12, which maybe wound@ around the uprights 11 andsecured thereby in anyV suitable manner to make a rigidy frame. This frame is embedded in the concrete body I3, of the column, and the uprights Il, extend fromtop to bottom of the building, the uprights being made in suitable lengths and spliced together in any desirable manner.

The floor is shown at 20 and is supported n upon the columns 10. Said iioorcomprises a concrete body 21, and metal reinforcements 22 the concrete body beingunited with the concrete body of the columns into one solid mass, and the metal reinforcements 22 being also connected to the metaly reinforcements of. the columns. As shown, these metal reinforcements consist of two` layers of metal fabric i23--24 which may be ordinary' Wire mesh or expanded'metal.' It'may be found desirable to use welded fabric of such widths as to cover the span betweenv two adjacent posts, and a very desirable form of metal fabric is one in which the strands are electrically welded together, although the ordinary-wire mesh now lin commercial use can be used. When ordinary mesh wire is used, the strips are laid so as to overlap each other as diagrammatically shown at 23a, in Fig. 3, and a :secondv layer of wire mesh is laid iinmediately on top of the'irst layer andv at 100 -tire building and becomes Aembedded in the concrete when the construction is completed and the adjacent overlapping edges'bec'orne'105l tied-together by the surrounding concrete. At a suitable distance below'the wire fabric 23, is secured a second layer of wire fabric 24, which is preferably of the same construction asl the metal fabric which forms the-up- 110 rods.

per layer 23. Both layers extend across the l columns from end to columns and become rigidly secured thereto when the concrete is added to complete the iloor. i

When wire fabric is used in these constructions, I find that it becomes necessary to provide an enlargement or cap on the col-v umn for the floor, in order that the wire fabric may have more of the bearing upon the column than it would have if no caps or enlargements were provided. I form this cap by employing two series of rods -31, the series 30 being referably bent at their middle portions ass iown at 33 so as to form two diverging arms or ends which extend upward and outward to the fabric 24, which is near the b'ottom edge of the floor. This forms a sort of brace or bracket that extends out from thecolumn under the floor. The upper series of rods 31 are arranged near the upper .faceof the Hoor and are placed immediately below the metal fabric 23, so that the latter may rest upon these supporting The rods 30 and 3] are connected and spaced apart by means of stirrups 32, the construction and arrangement of which is clearly shown and described in an application for building construction filed by me on the 20th day of December, 1906, and given the Serial Number 348,719. It is of great importance that the-metal parts of these constructions be separated from each other in order that the4 concrete may completely surround each individual member of the metal reinforcing parts-so as to insure safety ofthe device. The two series of rods are preferably arranged in setsof five or six rods in each set, and placed at rightangles to each other as indicated'in- Fig. 2, although this arrangement of the rods is not essential to my invention, as they may be arranged in other suitable ways, as may be'found desirable.

In erecting a building containinffany improved construction, the frames ci? umns for the first floor are first put in place.

vVl'vooden molds-or centers 40, are then seported upon trestles or the like.

across the entire building except at the col-` cured in place immediately below the iloortc be made, said centers or molds being supthis mold forms a flat surface extending umns, where the centers are shaped to conform to the contour of the cap or bracket of the columns. vSuitable molds are also provided for the column andwhen these are put in place the columns may then be completed, by filling the column molds with concrete and'ramming it in place. After the centers 40, have been placed in position, the brace rods 30 and stirrups'. 32-.ar`e putin position, the rods 30 being placed above the molds and a layer of concrete isf-.fthenspreadl upon the centers or molds. rlh'e wire fabric 24 is then laid upon this layefr of concrete,` which wire fabric as above stated, is laid across the and when it is desired to use the.

the col-- In general,

end of the building, and

if this fabric is composed of narrow strips, a

second layeris laid directly thereon and at rightV anglesto the first layer, as'shown in Fig. 3. The uprights 11 of the columns and the stirrups 32, pass through the fabric thus connecting the latter to the columns. Concrete is then vfilled in within an inch or two of the upper face of the floor and then the cap rods 31, are placed in position in the stirrups and the second layer or tier of wire fabric 23', is laced upon the body of concrete. is then lled in on top of the second layer or tier of fabric and the construction of the floor is complete. The frames for the col'- umns on the floors above may be put in place during the work on the lloors, or, if desired, they may be put in place before the floor is, completed. As soon as the concrete has' se-t, the centers and molds may be removed and upon the fabric up tol Another ayer of concrete above the ioor so constructed.

. In the ordinary construction of reinforced concrete buildings,

it is customary to employ metal girders such as I beams and.

the like to support the floorsthe girdrs being hung upon the columns or uprights of the construction.` These girders not only are very heavy and add to the weight of the but form ridges upon the lowerupon the building, face of the floor, that 1s. to say, ceiling ofthe room below, which ridges ofttimes mar the scheme of ornamentation,

buildingas a warehouse, they are in the way of the goods or wares in case it is desired to fill up the entire space betweenA the floorand ceiling.

In my construction, I have entirely dispensed with girders of any form, either of metal 'or of reinforced concrete and have not, by `so dispensing with the girders, endangered the stability or the load carrying property ofthe structure. This I accomlight metalfabric. which covers the entire floor space of the building and which metal fabric is directly connected to the metal framework of the columns and completely embedded in concrete, the entire composition of concrete and metal and floors being united into one solid mass. It will be noticed that by employing a metal fabric which extends from column to column and covers the entire area bounded by the columns, that when a load is applied of both columns vplish by employing?'a plurality of layers yofto it at any point upon the floor, the strain will be distributed. over the entire fabricv and the. strain will 'thereby be more evenly distllibuted over all of the supporting means of t e construction, and willnot have to be.

carried by one or a few of the ordinary sup- .l

porting means. l

I find that in constructing a girderless floor," a saving of from 30 to 40 per cent. can be had, for the reason that a great share of the cost in erecting a building of this class, is in the preparation and use-of the forms 5 and centers.

I ind that by dispensing with the molds or forms for the girders, this saving can be had, which saving is ofcourse of great importance in large constructions. .I am aware that various alterations and .'modiications in the arrangement and form of the parts Amay be had without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not desire, therefore, to limit myself to the eX- zact construction shown and described.

Iclaim as'new and desire to secure by Letters Patent: 1.In a girderless iioor construction, the combination with suitable columns, of 'rods 2,0 supported therein andI extending transversel therefrom, a metal fabric extending .over t e entire area bounded by the columns and resting upon and connected with said rods and columns, a second metal fabric ex tending over the entire area bounded by the.

columns andyarranged above'the iirst fabric and a body of concrete in which lsaid fabric and rods are wholly em'bedded.

2. In 'a building construction, the combination with suitable columns, of diagonally disposed brace rods supported therein, a ,layer of metal fabric resting upon said brace 'frods, a second series of rods arranged above the iirs't series, stirrups connecting and separating said rods, a second layer of metal fabric resting upon said second series of rods and a body of concrete in which said parts are wholly embedded.

. 3. In a building construction, the combi- -40 natio@ with suitable columns, comprising uprights land metal connecting bands, of caps :f for said columns comprising diagonal brace rods, horizontal cap rods and connecting stirrups, a'floor comprising two layers of metal fabric resting upon and connectedto said brace rods and cap rods and a body of concrete in which the metal arts of said columns, caps and floor are W olly embedded.

4. In a building construction, the combination with a suitable column, of a cap therefor, comprising substantially a series of 'trans-' versely` extending and inclined brace rods, a second series of transversely extending rods, stirrups connecting and spacing said rods l apart and a body-ofconcrete in which all of said metal parts are wholly embedded.

5. In a building construction, the combination with suitable columns, of caps therefor containing two series of transversely ex- A tending rods and spacing stirrups, and a floor construction comprising substantially a plu# rality of layers of metal fabric, each layer resting upon one of said series of rods and a body of concrete in Which all of said metal parts are wholly embedded.

-6. In a building construction, the combination with a column containing a metal framework having suitable uprights therein, of a series of brace rods, supported in` said v columns, a series ofcap rods above said brace 7G rods, stirrups connecting and separating said rods, two layers of metal fabric restiiig upon said rods and having the uprights extending therethrough and a body of concrete in which all of said metal parts are wholly embedded.

7. In a building construction, the combination withy suitable columns, of brace rods supported therein, cap rods arranged above said brace rods, stirrups of serpentine forni connecting and s acing said rods aparttwo layers of metal abric supported -upon said rods and a body of'concrete in which all of' said metal parts are wholly embedded.

8. In a building construction, the combi-y nation with suitable columns, of two or more suitably separated series of: transversely extendin metal rods, two or more layers of metal abrio resting upon said rods, and extending over the entire area bounded by the columns and a body of concrete in which said metal parts are wholly embedded.

In witness whereof I have executed the above application for VLetters Patent of the United States, at Chicago, county of Cook and State of Illinois, this iifth day of January EDGAR D. MARTIN. Witnesses:

WM. P. BOND, CHARLES O. SHERvEY. 

